


The Anniversary

by Ryunna



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, PostwickShipping, You Have Been Warned, just fluff because this game needs content ASAP for the best ship, love Hop sm, spoilers for swsh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 02:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21487102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryunna/pseuds/Ryunna
Summary: Gloria and Hop have been best friends for years. Now that they've completed the gym challenge and their careers are officially on track, they're closer than ever... but things change as you get older. Hop starts to realize he might feel a certain way about Gloria, a feeling she just might reciprocate...
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 14
Kudos: 454





	1. It's A Deal

"Hey! Good to hear from you!" Hop said into his rotophone after seeing Gloria's name pop up on the screen. "How's champion life treating you?"

"It's been cool," Gloria replied. Her voice was echoing, indicating she was located in some cave or tunnel. "Really demanding though. How's Sonia treating you back at the lab?"

"She's a slave driver!" Hop said loudly. Sonia peered out from around a pile of books and glared at him.

Gloria laughed.

"Good! I hope you're enjoying the work, at least," she said. "I called because it's our year anniversary, in case you forgot."

"Our what?" Hop asked.

"C'mon, you know!" Gloria said, her voice reverberating. "It's been one whole year since you 'n I finished the gym challenge."

"Oh! I had no idea, sorry! I would've called you first!!" Hop said. "Is that gonna be a yearly celebration from now on?"

"I mean, if you want," Gloria said sheepishly. "I just thought- well, y'know, we haven't seen each other in so long even though we message every day. So I was actually thinking of stopping by with some curry for you and Sonia, just to slow down and catch our breath. It's been a hectic year, that's for sure."

"I'd-" Hop paused. His cheeks were warm and he felt his heart speed up. She was visiting? Today? "I'd really like that!" Why did he feel so... weird? He used to see her all the time and never had this kind of reaction before. "When will you be here?"

"In three hours or so, is that alright?" Gloria asked.

"Soniaaa?" Hop covered the rotophone with his palm and called out to the professor. "We good to eat with Glo in a few hours?"

"We can take a break for that, sure," Sonia replied, adjusting her glasses and smiling. "Be good to see her again. But as soon as we're done dinner you HAVE to find those papers ASAP!!"

"I promise!" Hop said, flashing his boss a grin. "Alright, we're good for this evening. Can't wait to see you!"

"Ditto!" Gloria said, but the connection was a little fuzzy. "Sorr- going th-ough a st-rm, gon- h-ng up n-"

The call cut off. Hop stared at his phone, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in his ringing ears.

Gloria spread a plaid blanket on the ground, setting a picnic basket in the center. She dusted off the hem of her dress and sat down, cross-legged, next to Hop.

"Thank you so much for bringing the food, Glo," Sonia said, sitting across from the two of them. "Wow! It's been such a busy year, it just flew by, eh?"

"Yeah, it really did..." she replied. "Being champion is a lot of work, people are always calling on you to help them, plus with my first time as the final opponent in the gym challenge... I'm really worn out. I really needed this."

"We're glad you decided to unwind here!" Hop said, nudging his friend. "You'll be back home for Christmas, right? Your mom would be devastated if you weren't."

Gloria grinned and nodded. The three of them grabbed servings of spicy leek curry from the picnic basket and dug in enthusiastically, chatting casually as they stuffed their faces. The sun began to dip behind the trees of Slumbering Weald, the Wooloo in the fields curling up on the ground together. Their food was gone and the winds began to pick up, ruining the comfortable atmosphere of friends reuniting.

"It's been real great, guys," Gloria said. "I hope I get a chance to see you again soon, before Christmas."

"If you don't-" Hop said, jumping up from the blanket. "Can we at least make this a yearly tradition? Meeting on our journey anniversary?"

Gloria opened her mouth but paused. She was clearly worried about making any long-term promises; who was to say she'd be free the same time every year from now on? After thinking about it for a moment, she sighed and smiled.

"Sure, Hop. It's a deal."


	2. Six Years Older, Six Years Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been six years since that first anniversary. Gloria kept her promise - every year, if not any other time, she would meet with Sonia and Hop for a meal to celebrate another year as the champion. They're all adults now, more mature and perhaps worn down than before. This anniversary, the 7th since becoming champion, things feel a little more... awkward than usual.

Hop rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses and sighed. He was almost completely done his thesis which, under normal circumstances, would feel great! But he'd been dealing with a lot lately. Recovering from a fever, the tension of Leon being home for a few weeks uninterrupted, Sonia's research being put under scrutiny by the scientific community for some more controversial theories. He just wanted to get it over with!

Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling. It looked a little blurry. His brow furrowed; was he gonna have to get his prescription checked _again? _Jeez, just one thing after another...

He stared at his rotophone, sitting on the desk next to his keyboard. He and Gloria had been messaging each other earlier but suddenly he felt the urge to call her, hear her voice. The anniversary was tomorrow yet he just couldn't wait to talk to her for real.

_Dammit... _he thought to himself. His feelings for her, feelings he'd realized a few years ago, got stronger every day. Whenever he saw her on the news he felt pride and excitement. Her every victory against a challenger was a victory he felt in his core, even though it wasn't his. When he thought about Christmas the previous year, when he'd gotten a bit tipsy and told her how pretty she was, he felt his heart sink in his gut; she had laughed it off nervously, avoiding him until the booze had worn off. Why couldn't he stop himself from feeling this way?

He reached for the phone.

"Jeez..." Gloria sighed to herself. She stood high up on a hill, shielding her eyes from the whipping winds to try and scope out the area for the millionth time. "I don't wanna throw in the towel, Inteleon, but..."

Her pokemon stood at her side, quietly observing the Wild Area. Sensing her unease, he let out a little cry and moved closer to her, letting her know it was gonna be ok.

"You're right. We can't quit now. That little boy is lost out there and he needs us." She dropped her arms to her side and turned to look at her pokemon. "There's only one place we haven't looked."

Mounting her rotom bike, Gloria made her way down the hill and towards a big boulder at the edge of Giant's Mirror. She didn't even believe it was possible for someone to get in there but if the kid wasn't anywhere else... She had to check.

"Ok Coalossal, you and Tyranitar have to do something really big," she said, letting the two towering 'mons out of their balls. "You need to use your strength to push this big rock just a few feet away from the cave entrance."

The pokemon gave signs of understanding, positioning themselves on one side of the giant rock and preparing to shove it with all their might.

Her phone rang.

Normally in a situation like this she wouldn't think twice about ignoring it. However, a little nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her what tomorrow was. If Hop was calling at a time like this, maybe it was something important. Something like postponing their celebration, or maybe calling it off altogether. She felt her heart pound painfully; why was she always so anxious about stuff like that?

She saw his name on the rotophone screen and picked up the call.

"Hey Glo," Hop's tired voice echoed from the speaker. "Sorry to bug you. You busy?"

"No, not really," Gloria replied. Tyranitar and Coalossal were pushing the boulder, gritting their teeth and digging their feet into the earth. "Is something wrong?"

"Nah. Just wanted to-" Hop paused. What _did _he want to say? "Just thought I'd check in, make sure we're still on for tomorrow."

"Of course!" Gloria said a little too fast. "I was a bit worried, um, considering Sonia's in a bit of a state, that you guys wouldn't be able to humor me."

"Oh, that stuff? It's nothing, Sonia and I wouldn't let anything come in the way of our anniversary. Not once in the past six years!"

"It'll be seven tomorrow," Gloria said. The crack between the boulder and the cave entrance was growing marginally larger; she could almost fit through. "Isn't that crazy? We're all grown up, Hop."

"Yeah... guess we are." Hop swallowed the lump in his throat. "We're still friends though, after all this time. Isn't that crazier?"

"Not at all, I don't think," Gloria replied, crossing one of her arms across her chest. "I can't imagine being where I am without you. And Sonia," she added quickly.

"Y-yeah, same here," Hop said. "I'm almost finished the thesis, y'know. I'd love if you could read it over when you visit, but I totally get if it's too boring for you. Gigantimax energy sources and potential causation isn't the most riveting stuff."

"I'd be happy to," Gloria said, smiling. "I'm so proud of you. You're gonna be a professor!"

"Yeah I will! It's the first thing I have you beat in," Hop grinned, tipping his chair back further. "This whole scientist and researcher stuff."

"I don't deny that," Gloria replied. "So I'll come by your place tomorrow morning?"

"Morning? You usually come by, like, after lunch..." Hop said. He immediately regretted it; he didn't mean to come off so hostile.

"Is that bad? I just thought it would be nice to have more time together," she said, playing with her hair. 

"Sure, I don't mind it, though Sonia will only be free after 3pm. You're stuck with me until then, heh!" He tried to sound more casual. Truth was, Sonia was around all day. He'd have to convince her to bugger off until the afternoon somehow...

"Cheers then!" Gloria said. Her cheeks felt a little warm. "It'll be nice, j-just the two of us, I think."

"I'll let you go, then," Hop said. "Wouldn't want you getting sick of me before tomorrow."

"I could never," Gloria replied. "But alright then. Get back to work on that thesis!"

"Ok, ok! And you go back to whatever champion stuff you're up to, then, and take care!" Hop ended the call. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, his hands shaking. He stood up from the chair and went to the kitchen to fix himself a coffee. When in doubt, caffeine.

Quickly he sent Sonia a message.

"That's enough, you two!" Gloria said to her pokemon. The cave had a good two and a half feet of an entrance visible, more than enough for her to squeeze through. As she went inside, she tried to imagine how a little kid had gotten himself in here in the first place. _It had to have been a mischievous ghost type... _she thought bitterly. They were always making trouble. The drifloon around the Wild Area were known to use their powers to hide children away in hard-to-reach locations, but this was a whole new level.

"Hello?" She yelled into the cavern. It wasn't a huge cave but it sure was dark. Thankfully her Galarian Rapidash's hair lit up the surroundings a little.

"Is someone there?" A voice cried faintly from deeper in. Gloria was immediately wary. Perhaps it _was _a lost little boy, but what if it was a ghost type, hoping to lure her in to her doom? She steeled herself, taking a deep breath and clutching onto Rapidash's glowing mane.

"I'm here to help you!" She yelled back to the voice. "Stay where you are and respond to my questions, alright?"

It only took her ten minutes to reach the boy. Sure enough, a pair of drifloon had phantom-forced him through the rock as if he were incorporeal, leaving him inside overnight. He was shivering and hungry, thankfully Gloria had the sense to bring some curry and wrapped him up in her jacket.

"I'm s-so glad you f-found me," the boy said. "My m-mom always said I could t-trust the champion. You're t-the best!"

Gloria felt herself fill up with relief and pride. This was the payoff, she thought. This is the moment it's all worth it. Seeing the joy on someone's face after their day is made, they're finally safe. Now and then she felt like being the champion was a slog, too many people relying on you to fix their problems, but she loved fixing problems. She loved being helpful.

"I'm glad you're ok," she said to the boy. "Your mom's going mad with worry back in Motostoke."

"Does your mom worry about you?" the boy asked as they took the air taxi back to his house. "When you're out doing all this dangerous champion stuff."

"I'm sure she does," Gloria replied with a subtle smile. "But when you're all grown up, people don't need to worry about you as much. Not that it'll stop them."

"I wanna be a trainer like you some day," the boy said. "My friend, she's a trainer and she always challenges me to battle 'n stuff. But I'm not very strong. My pokemon are my friends and I'm just no good at training them, y'know? I wish I could be as tough as you."

"You're going to be an amazing trainer," Gloria replied, patting the boy's shoulder and smiling at him. "That's a promise from the champion."

"So, 3pm?" Sonia said, crossing her arms. "That's how long I need to babysit Leon until."

"Uh huh," Hop said. "He's been a real pain ever since he broke his leg. My mom and I need some time away from his whining, so... thanks."

"You owe me for this, y'hear?" Sonia said. "Today of all days. The day we're supposed to take it easy."

"Gloria will be here all day! Don't you worry," Hop replied. "You'll get your chance to chill out."

"Uh huh." Sonia left the lab, looking back at Hop with a knowing grin. "Have fun, you two."

Gloria arrived shortly afterwards, just missing Sonia as she went to take care of Leon. Hop was sitting at his desk, playing it cool, pretending to be reading his thesis over. In reality he was too jittery to focus on anything.

"Hey, anyone home?" Gloria knocked on the door frame as she stepped into the lab.

"There you are!" Hop turned around and beamed widely at her. "So, how's it been? You told me you were looking for a missing kid the other day, yeah?"

"Found him," Gloria said, breaking eye contact. She'd been so nervous around Hop as of late... ever since last Christmas. He was so sweet and charming, so fun and energetic even as he got more serious about his career. How he did it she didn't know, but she certainly envied his unbreakable spirit.

"To be expected," Hop replied, standing up from the chair. "Shall we go for a little walk through Slumbering Weald?"

Gloria clutched her hands together. A walk? Alone together? In the woods?

"Sounds good," she replied. She remembered him looking at her at Christmas, leaning close and staring her right in her eyes. He had such an infectious laugh, his happiness filled a room with joy. She heard his voice in her head. _"You're so pretty. Really." _Did he mean that? Why did she keep thinking about it?

They went into the weald side-by-side, chatting about their lives and the little things that happened in between meeting up. Gloria noted Hop's glasses looked significantly thicker.

"All that computer stuff is making you blind as a zubat," she said. Hop sighed.

"Yeah, I know... it just gets worse and worse. But I look smarter, yeah?" He pushed the glasses up on his nose and stood tall, crossing his arms. Gloria giggled.

"Guess so," she said. "You are smart, though. You don't need glasses to prove that."

"That's sweet of you, Glo," Hop said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've really missed you."

He didn't mean to say it out loud, but it kind of just slipped through his mental filter. Gloria's cheeks went bright red.

"I-" she looked at her feet. That nervous feeling was so powerful. "I've missed you too, Hop. I wish I could stop by more."

"We don't ever get times like this to, like, talk. Just the two of us," Hop said, lowering his voice a little. "Sonia or Leon usually hang around, or our moms. And even though we message all the time..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Gloria said. "You're my best friend, you know that, right?"

Hop grimaced inwardly. Of course he was her best friend. She was his too. But... what if it was more than that?

"Have you ever..." Hop stopped himself from asking. "Never mind, actually."

"Hm?" Gloria tilted her head. "Oh, we've made it..."

In front of them sat the worn monument to Zacian and Zamazenta. Seeing it brought back so many memories for the two of them. Gloria felt for Zacian's pokeball in her bag, knowing Hop was holding onto Zamazenta the same in his pocket. It was strange, to have such powerful pokemon at their sides.

"It's peaceful here..." She sat down on the monument and stared at the surroundings intently. Anything to avoid Hop seeing her blushing face.

"Yeah." He sat down next to her. Too close. Their knees were touching, but Gloria was too scared to pull away. She didn't want to ruin the moment and make Hop feel bad again, the way she did after he'd been so sweet to her. She just... 

"I'm never in one place for more than a day," Gloria said quickly. "I never get to spend time with- friends."

"I know," Hop said quietly. "I l-" he paused and took a deep breath. "I love that about you. The way you put everything aside for the good of the region."

He waited for her to look at him. He wanted to see her reaction, her expression. She wouldn't turn to face him.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't won," she said. "I wish- I wish I could've settled here. With you and Sonia. But- But m-mostly with you."

"What do you mean?" Hop asked softly. He reached out and touched her shoulder gently. Finally, she turned and they locked eyes. She was crying.

"I mean that I care an awful lot about you, you know, and I see that you're overworking yourself and not resting enough, you're always studying and researching and I wish I could be here to make sure you're taking care of yourself. That's all," she said, speeding through the thought as quickly as possible.

"What's wrong?" Hop asked. "Why are you-"

"It's nothing," Gloria wiped her nose and cheeks and hiccuped. "Just thinking about something that happened. It's nothing, really."

"I care about you too, you know," Hop said. "If you wish you could spend more time with us, you should. There are eight gym leaders in the region, y'know, they'll survive if you take some time to yourself here and there."

She looked at him, his warm, charming smile, the way he knew the right things to say and always managed to turn her stormy days into sunny ones. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind blanked.

They both leaned closer and she kissed him. Her hand inched over and held onto his as she pressed her mouth against his own. Hop's eyes were wide open, shocked, concerned.

Was she doing this because she felt the same or because she felt lonely? Should he stop her?

Gloria eventually broke away from the kiss. She couldn't look up at Hop to see his eyes. She knew if she did, she'd burst into tears.

Hop knew this was his chance. He could get another one, sure, but when would that be? Even if she was only doing this because she felt alone, he needed her to know the truth.

"I love you." he said. "I've loved you since you became the champion."

"Hop, I-" Gloria said, her voice shaking. "I can't. I can't fall in love with you. We're so far apart, it-"

"I want to make it work," he replied, gently sliding his other hand over, holding her. "I'm tired of pretending I don't miss you like crazy and love messaging and calling you. I want to help you live your champion life, even if I'm in Postwick the whole time. I'd be happy any way we're together, even if I only get to see you on this silly anniversary."

Slowly, Gloria raised her head and met Hop's gaze.

"What if it doesn't work out?" she asked. "What if I lose you?"

"You won't ever lose me. Even if we don't work like that," Hop replied. "I promise we'll be friends no matter what. You're my rival, I refuse to let you back down."

Gloria sniffled. She was right, she _did _start crying. But it was ok. It was ok to be vulnerable with Hop. She hugged him and he hugged her and the sun broke through the dense foliage, warming the two of them as they held each other in the Slumbering Weald.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short little story for you all~ Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
